LOVE EXPOSURE is a film unlike anything else you've ever seen before or since (although Sion Sono's follow-up movies, made as part of his unconnected trilogy, COLD FISH and GUILTY OF ROMANCE, come close at times). It's an incredibly quirky romance story that concerns a love triangle between three messed-up characters. One of them is a sinister cultist, another a loveless girl who hates men, the third a pervert with a fine line in upskirt photography.
All of these elements come together in one epic story that's very well shot and somehow beautiful despite the often crude themes and very graphic elements of the storyline. It's a film that mixes together a critique of Catholicism with religious cults, voyeurism, pornography, mental health, terrorism, family relationships, and even some karate into one hectic mix. At four hours this is a real test of the viewer's ability to take this incessantly crazy storytelling and I confess that I watched it in two settings as I think one would have been just too much for me to take.
The film boasts fully-rounded characters and psychological depth that you don't often get in the world of Japanese cult cinema. It's a throwback to 1970s-era Japanese exploitation with the character of 'Miss Scorpion' straight out of that decade. It's very funny and completely outrageous, delving down some dark and explicit avenues that most filmmakers wouldn't dare to go. The whole thing builds to a real crescendo with a great and uplifting climax. Most of all, it's very entertaining, surprisingly poignant at times, and Sono sustains the interest from beginning to end. A graphic, unashamed, high art story that keeps on delivering.
All of these elements come together in one epic story that's very well shot and somehow beautiful despite the often crude themes and very graphic elements of the storyline. It's a film that mixes together a critique of Catholicism with religious cults, voyeurism, pornography, mental health, terrorism, family relationships, and even some karate into one hectic mix. At four hours this is a real test of the viewer's ability to take this incessantly crazy storytelling and I confess that I watched it in two settings as I think one would have been just too much for me to take.
The film boasts fully-rounded characters and psychological depth that you don't often get in the world of Japanese cult cinema. It's a throwback to 1970s-era Japanese exploitation with the character of 'Miss Scorpion' straight out of that decade. It's very funny and completely outrageous, delving down some dark and explicit avenues that most filmmakers wouldn't dare to go. The whole thing builds to a real crescendo with a great and uplifting climax. Most of all, it's very entertaining, surprisingly poignant at times, and Sono sustains the interest from beginning to end. A graphic, unashamed, high art story that keeps on delivering.